picks most things up very quickly,” Val said with a smile. She could tell by the slight widening of Jennifer’s eyes and the smile that froze on her lips that the poor woman didn’t know quite how to take this latest barb. “I understand you met my husband through work,” Val continued sweetly, as if she were interviewing a potential nanny.
“I didn’t know he was married when we met,” Jennifer explained quickly.
“The gold band on his left hand wasn’t enough of a clue?”
“He wasn’t wearing one.”
“Really?” Had Evan made a practice of removing his wedding ring before he got to the office?
Jennifer nodded. “We’d been working on a campaign for his new hotel …”
“
When luxury beckons …
” Val said, remembering an early mock-up of the brochure.
“Yes. I believe that was one of the slogans we discarded.”
“Among other things.”
Jennifer took another sip of her iced tea, then quickly lowered the glass to her lap, as if she were beginning to suspect it contained poison.
“Go on,” Val prompted. She’d never actually heard the story before, in all its inglorious detail.
“We’d been working late,” Jennifer obliged her by continuing, “and Evan suggested we break for dinner.”
“And you were hungry.” It was Val’s turn to study the carpet at her feet.
“Over dinner he told me he was very attracted to me and that it might be a problem with us working so closely together. I told him I was attracted to him, too, so what problem could there be? That’s when he told me he was married. He said he wanted everything to be honest and aboveboard.”
“Except where I was concerned, of course,” Val qualified.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be talking about this,” Jennifer demurred, looking anxiously over her shoulder toward the front window, obviously praying for the sight of Evan’s Jaguar.
“Maybe not,” Val agreed. Interesting as the story was, she already knew how it ended.
And it wasn’t with “They all lived happily ever after.”
At least, as far as she was concerned.
Except …
“It’ll be strange,” Evan had said earlier. “Being there without you.”
“Someone’s pulling into your driveway,” Jennifer said now.
Val jumped to her feet. “Evan?”
“No. Two people. A man and a woman.”
Melissa and James, Val realized, marching from the living room. She should have called them, told them Evan was going to be late. “Hi,” she said, opening the front door to her two best and—if she was being honest—
only
friends. She’d pretty much given up on the idea of girlfriends after Evan had run off with one of her bridesmaids. But then, Melissa had never posed any kind of threat, and James … well, James was
James
.
“You ready to party, birthday girl?” Melissa asked, her natural exuberance filling the small foyer. Melissa was forty-six but seemed curiously both older and younger than her years, an old soul brimming with childlike enthusiasm. She stood only five feet, two inches and weighed all of ninety-five pounds, but she was a powerhouse, full of energy and good humor. She wore her straight black hair in a blunt cut to her chin, with thick bangs that completely covered her forehead and extended over the tops of her oversized black square-framed glasses. Her small eyes were equally dark; her lips were never without their trademark coral lipstick. When the travel agency she’d founded and operated for fifteen years had fallen on hard times, she hadn’t wasted any time on tears. She’d simply closed up shop and started a new business, turning her long-standing hobby of collecting vintage costume jewelry into a booming business. Her pieces were often showcased in the pages of
Vogue
and other fashion magazines and were regularly photographed gracing the emaciated bodies of celebrities and socialites on both coasts.
It was this no-nonsense, no-holds-barred approach to life that had drawn Val to her. Melissa was also an inveterate gatherer,
“I didn’t know he was married when we met,” Jennifer explained quickly.
“The gold band on his left hand wasn’t enough of a clue?”
“He wasn’t wearing one.”
“Really?” Had Evan made a practice of removing his wedding ring before he got to the office?
Jennifer nodded. “We’d been working on a campaign for his new hotel …”
“
When luxury beckons …
” Val said, remembering an early mock-up of the brochure.
“Yes. I believe that was one of the slogans we discarded.”
“Among other things.”
Jennifer took another sip of her iced tea, then quickly lowered the glass to her lap, as if she were beginning to suspect it contained poison.
“Go on,” Val prompted. She’d never actually heard the story before, in all its inglorious detail.
“We’d been working late,” Jennifer obliged her by continuing, “and Evan suggested we break for dinner.”
“And you were hungry.” It was Val’s turn to study the carpet at her feet.
“Over dinner he told me he was very attracted to me and that it might be a problem with us working so closely together. I told him I was attracted to him, too, so what problem could there be? That’s when he told me he was married. He said he wanted everything to be honest and aboveboard.”
“Except where I was concerned, of course,” Val qualified.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be talking about this,” Jennifer demurred, looking anxiously over her shoulder toward the front window, obviously praying for the sight of Evan’s Jaguar.
“Maybe not,” Val agreed. Interesting as the story was, she already knew how it ended.
And it wasn’t with “They all lived happily ever after.”
At least, as far as she was concerned.
Except …
“It’ll be strange,” Evan had said earlier. “Being there without you.”
“Someone’s pulling into your driveway,” Jennifer said now.
Val jumped to her feet. “Evan?”
“No. Two people. A man and a woman.”
Melissa and James, Val realized, marching from the living room. She should have called them, told them Evan was going to be late. “Hi,” she said, opening the front door to her two best and—if she was being honest—
only
friends. She’d pretty much given up on the idea of girlfriends after Evan had run off with one of her bridesmaids. But then, Melissa had never posed any kind of threat, and James … well, James was
James
.
“You ready to party, birthday girl?” Melissa asked, her natural exuberance filling the small foyer. Melissa was forty-six but seemed curiously both older and younger than her years, an old soul brimming with childlike enthusiasm. She stood only five feet, two inches and weighed all of ninety-five pounds, but she was a powerhouse, full of energy and good humor. She wore her straight black hair in a blunt cut to her chin, with thick bangs that completely covered her forehead and extended over the tops of her oversized black square-framed glasses. Her small eyes were equally dark; her lips were never without their trademark coral lipstick. When the travel agency she’d founded and operated for fifteen years had fallen on hard times, she hadn’t wasted any time on tears. She’d simply closed up shop and started a new business, turning her long-standing hobby of collecting vintage costume jewelry into a booming business. Her pieces were often showcased in the pages of
Vogue
and other fashion magazines and were regularly photographed gracing the emaciated bodies of celebrities and socialites on both coasts.
It was this no-nonsense, no-holds-barred approach to life that had drawn Val to her. Melissa was also an inveterate gatherer,
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